CATEGORY ARCHIVES: Just For Parents
10 Steps to Keeping Your Family Safe Online!
Posted by Phil
We want to thank you for trusting us with your child each summer at camp. We are committed to the growth of all of our campers, even when they are back home. Therefore we want to do what we can to partner with you as parents as you love your kids through some fun, but difficult years ahead. The following Gameplan establishes the online ground rules for our home. We will display this Gameplan and update it periodically as our children grow older. Althoough this may not be perfect for every family, we believe that it is a great start to protecting your family from what is already on the internet. Unfortunately, there are people who want to hurt your kids! Let’s do what we can to proactively protect them…and teach them to protect themselves!
- We will never give out personal information such as our last name, address or phone number. We should also not give out the name of our school, our city, our siblings, our sports team or our parent’s workplace.
- We all agree to not give our passwords to anyone outside of our family. We have all agreed upon user names to use while we are on the Internet. I will not change the settings for my computer or my password without my parent’s permission.
- We all agree to limit our online time so that it doesn’t interfere with other activities. We agree to follow the time limits that our family sets and not let the Internet take time away from homework, sports, face- to-face interactions or family time.
- I will never meet an online friend in person. Just as I stay away from strangers on the street, I will be careful about strangers on the Internet. If anyone ever asks to meet with me off line, I will notify my parents immediately.
- I will tell my mom or dad right away if I come across something that makes me feel uncomfortable. If anyone uses bad language or mentions things that make me uncomfortable, I will immediately log off and tell my parents.
- I will not remain on or click on a page that says, “For Over 18 Years Only.” If this happens, I will log off and I will let my parents know. I understand that I’m only a click away from bad sites and that these pages are definitely not for kids.
- I will only download pictures and files with my parent’s permission. Some of these files may contain inappropriate pictures or dangerous viruses that could mess up our computer.
- I will not send pictures of my family or myself to anyone online. The only way that I am allowed to do this is if my parents say it is all right.
- I will be safe everywhere. I will follow the same Internet safety rules at my friends’ houses, at school and at the library that I do while I’m at home.
- I understand that nothing is private on the Internet. I agree that my mom or dad can read my mail or check the sites that I have been visiting — not because they don’t trust me but because they just want to make sure that I am safe.
*Courtesy of InternetSafety.com
Posted in Just For Parents | Tagged Camp Crestridge, Camp Ridgecrest, internet safety, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply
#1 Rated Internet Filtering Software
Posted by Phil
We can’t stress it enough for you to make sure your family is protected while online. Ridgecrest Summer Camps isn’t endorsing any specific product, but we are dedicated to empowering you, the parent, to properly protect your child online. The experts are clear with their data, our children are targets for online predators. As a parent myself, I prefer to not be paranoid, but I also want to stay informed. Using some sort of internet filtering software helps me do that. SafeEyes is one option out there. Although it is not free, it gets excellent reviews. I encourage you to do some of your own research and see what your options are. We also encourage you to post comments below for other parents to learn from. Thanks for loving your kids so well! See you this summer!
Posted in Just For Parents | Tagged Camp Crestridge, Camp Ridgecrest, internet safety, parent resourses, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply
5 Helpful Tips for Creating a Cybersafe Home
Posted by Phil
As you know by now Ridgecrest Summer Camps has taken a step forward in partnering with you the parent as you invest in your children, point them to Jesus, and love them as they grow up in a difficult time. “This generation of parents is the first to face the challenge of helping our children make the most of their virtual space while keeping them safe in it. If you’re still getting your footing in virtual parenting, don’t worry. InternetSafety.com has the following tips to help ensure that your child’s online experience remains positive.” We don’t claim to have all the answers here at Ridgecrest Summer Camps, but we do want to help point you to some of the knowledgeable professionals regarding these touchy issues. Here are some suggestions as you protect your family online…
1. Become a net-savvy parent
The best safeguard against online dangers is being informed. Jump in and learn the basics of the Internet—read articles, take a class, and talk to other parents. A good place to start is www.websitebuilders.com. You don’t have to be an expert to have a handle on your child’s online world.
2. “Chat” with your kids
Develop an open dialogue so that you can talk with your kids about the benefits and dangers of the Internet. Cultivate an interest in their online activities—their favorite Web sites, online games, and interests. And don’t be afraid to ask your children who they are talking to online and what they are talking about.
3. Agree on a game plan
Use the InternetSafety.com Gameplan™ to formally agree on your family’s guidelines for using the Internet. Post them near the family computer as a reminder. Ensure that your kids know to never share personal information on the Internet and that they should tell you about any online activity or contact that makes them uncomfortable.
4. Protect your computer
Take advantage of the software that exists to help parents manage their children’s computer experience. In only a few minutes, parental control software like Safe Eyes can block inappropriate websites, restrict the amount of time that your kids use the Internet and monitor their Instant Messenger chats to protect against predators.
5. Explore the Internet as a family
With a game plan and a protected computer, you can now encourage your family to take advantage of all that the Internet has to offer. Take a genuine interest in what your kids are doing and stay engaged with them online.
Posted in Just For Parents | Tagged Camp Crestridge, Camp Ridgecrest, Cybersafe home, internet safety, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply
ATTENTION: CAMP MOMS
Posted by Sharon
There’s nothing like watching your child run up to you on closing day with a huge smile on their face to give you a big hug…so big that it makes up for the two weeks of no hugs. Then you ask if they had a good time and they go off on how much fun they had, telling you about their campout, the fire they got to build, the frog they caught by the lake, the new song they learned, the wreck they had in the mountain biking skill, the time they spent learning about God, talking to God, or how their love for God grew in so many ways. To me, that would be one of the most amazing feelings as a parent!
How often do you tell your friends about that feeling and the experience your child had at camp? Whether it be everyday or not very often, we want to make it easier for you to tell your friends about Ridgecrest Summer Camps. There are a few promotionals materials that we would like to make available to you. We have promotional DVD’s, brochures, a sample newsletter entry, and sample announcements. You can use these materials at your church, a small group meeting, a youth group, Sunday school class, your child’s school, a club meeting, or even with your child’s close friends and parents. God has changed and will change so many lives through camp and this is your chance to spread the excitement! If you have any questions or would like to receive any promotional materials, please e-mail us at rscamps@ridgecrestcamps.com. We’ll mail you whatever you need at no cost. And we’d be glad to share with you some of the best ways to impact your community through sharing with others a lifechanging summer camp experience!
Posted in Just For Parents | Tagged Camp Moms | Leave a reply
A Good Read for Parents
Posted by Phil
We at Ridgecrest Summer Camps are just as devoted to you as a parent as we are to your kids as our campers. Raising kids can be incredibly challenging, and we want to stand by you as you tackle the most important feat a parent can attempt…being a parent. There are TONS of books on parenting…which one’s can you trust? This is a place where we want you to be able to share books that have helped you. (Please share below in the comment section). Below are also some of the books that we recommend from personal experience as well as from being in the camping industry for many years. Please comment on the books that you found helpful! For your convenience, you can even purchase the books below by simply clicking on the link provided.
- Grace Based Parenting by Tim Echols
- Parent Fuel by Barry St. Clair – Most parents ask, “How do I help my kids turn out right?” This book suggests a better question: “How do I help my kids love Jesus more?”
- Captivating by John and Stasi Eldridge
- Strengthen Yourself in the Lord by Bill Johnson – How to release the hidden power of God in your life.
- Here Comes Heaven by Mike Seth. A Kid’s guide to God’s supernatural power!
- Every Young Man’s Battle – Strategies for victory in the real world of sexual temptation.
- Every Young Woman’s Battle – Guarding your mind, heart and body in a sex-saturated world.
- Wild at Heart by John Eldridge. A battle to fight, an adventure to live, a beauty to rescue — these are the dreams and desires written on the heart of every boy.
- Boundaries with Kids by Cloud. When to say yes, when to say no to help your children gain control of their lives.
- Going Public by Donna Hatasaki – Your Child can thrive in Public School
- Christian Childrearing and Personality Development by Paul Meier
Posted in Just For Parents | Tagged Book Recomendations, parent resourses | Leave a reply
Internet Safety
Posted by Phil
I would go as far as to say that every family that has a computer in their home must have some sort of filtering strategy. As much as we may not want to admit it, our children are being aggressively pursued online. Experts say that right now there are about 1.5 million sexual predators online. We would strongly urge you to educate your self further, and take action in your home to protect your children. Here are a few resources that may help you. Please know that we are committed to helping you, and will be sure to update you as we learn of more helpful tools.
WEBSITES:
5 Internet Safety Tips – learn how to create a cyber safe home!
Internet Monitoring Family Gameplan – visit this site to learn 10 steps to protect your family.
SafeEyes – is the #1 rated internet filtering software. Visit this website to learn more. If you prefer a different product, thats great! But please make it a priority to protect your family.
10 signs of Internet Abuse – more ways you can educate yourself and proactively fight for your family.
GetNetWise.org – GetNetWise is a public service brought to you by a wide range of Internet industry corporations and public interest organizations.
VIDEOS:
Watch Video: How do I protect myself from internet predators? Is it ok for him to surf the internet unsupervised? Watch this short video to learn more about these questions, and other like them (www.iQuestions.com)
Watch Video: I believe in monitoring what my children watch on TV. But, is it possible to be too controlling? (Ted Baehr, www.iQuestions.com)
Watch Video: What are some fun ways that I can help develop my kids’ media discernment? (Ted Baehr, www.iQuestions.com)
Posted in Just For Parents | Tagged filtering, internet safety, kid and media, parent resourses, pornography | Leave a reply